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| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Firefly Aerospace | CNSA | Astrobotic |
| Prime contractor | Firefly Aerospace | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) | Astrobotic |
| Status | In development | In development | In development |
| Customer | NASA-CLPSESA | CNSA | NASA-CLPS |
| Launch date | 2026-Q4 (NET) | 2026-08 (NET) | 2026-07 (NET) |
| Landing date | — | — | — |
| Landing site | Lunar far side (specific site TBD; supports LuSEE-Night) | Shackleton crater illuminated rim, lunar south pole | Lunar south pole region |
| Payload | Dual-spacecraft: Blue Ghost lander + Elytra orbital relay (2026-05-28) | 18 science payloads across orbiter, lander, rover, mini-hopper, and Queqiao-2 (2026-05-28) | Venturi Astrolab FLIP rover + mass-simulator + secondary payloads (2026-05-28) |
| Contract value | — | — | $199.5M (2020-06-11) |
| Outcome | First commercial far-side landing attempt. Elytra deploys ESA's Lunar Pathfinder relay before Blue Ghost descends, providing dual-S/X-band relay for surface and orbital users. JPL's User Terminal Payload delivered for integration April 2026. | China's first dedicated lunar south-pole prospecting mission. Mini-flying probe hops into permanently shadowed regions to sample for water-ice volatiles. Italian laser retroreflector aboard the lander. | NASA cancelled VIPER July 2024 citing cost overruns; saved ~$84M vs ~$104M completion cost. Astrobotic retained the lander demonstration task. Mission slipped from late 2025 to NET July 2026. FLIP rover (Venturi Astrolab) selected as replacement manifest. |
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Underlying dataset: GET /api/moon/landers. Methodology: /moon/methodology.